Typewriting or analogous machine desk



Dec. 22, 1942. J. R. JONES EI'AL TYPEWRITING OR ANALOGOUS MACHINE DESK Filed Jan. 9, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Dec. 22, 1942. .g JONES a I 2,306,166

TYP EWRITING OR AI IALOGOUS MACHINE DESK Filed Jan. 9, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ATTORNEYS.

Dec.'2 2, 1942. R, JQ'NES ETAL 2,306,166

TYPEWRITING OR ANALOGOUS MACHINE DESK Filed Jan. 9, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 v V /?!N ENTORs.

ATTORNEYS,

Patented Dec. 22, 1942 TYPEWRITING R ANALOGOUS MACHINE DESK James R. Jones, Lakewood, and Victor A. Gronberg and Levi M. Hultberg, Jamestown, N. Y., assignors to Art Metal Construction Company,

Jamestown, N. Y.

Application January 9, 1941, Serial No. 373,750

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in typewriter or the like desks or cabinets of the type disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,224,020, issued December 3, 1940 to us, James R. Jones, Victor A. Gronberg and Levi M. Hultberg, assignors. Said patent discloses a metal typewriter desk in which the typewriter or machine is fastened on a shelf or table carried by a frame which is mounted in a compartment in one pedestal of the desk, at one side thereof, to move forwardly and rearwardly, and to swing upwardly in a transverse, vertical plane for withdrawing the machine from the compartment and placing it in an operative position in front of the pedestal facing towards the far end of the desk, or toward the operator sitting in front of the desk.

A primary object of this invention is to improve the construction of desks of this type in such a manner that the compartment which,

of the pedestal,-and is arranged to swing out' around the corner post or jamb at the hinged edge of the door and to a laterally offset, open position, preferably at or beyond the vertical plane of the outer side of the pedestal, to permit the use of a wider machine shelf, which, in the operative position of the machine, is locatedat the inner side of and below the top of the open door.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification of the preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in the accompanying drawings, and the novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Hereinafter in this specification, for the sake of brevity, the term machine is employed to mean a typewriting or other more or less analogous machine. i

In said drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are'front elevations on a reduced scale, of a typewriter desk embodying our invention. respectively showing, by broken lines. the housed and operative positions of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary and broken longitudinal sectional elevation thereof on line 3-3, Fig. 1,

showing the housed position of the machine shelf.

Fig. 4 is a similar view on line 4-4, Fig. 2, showing the projected horizontal position, of the machine shelf. V

Fig. 5 is a front elevation, showing the pedestal with its door open and the shelf in its projected, horizontal position.

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view thereof, on line 6-6, Fig. 2. a

Fig. '7 is a sectional plan view, enlarged, showing one of the door hinges and adjacent portion of the door in closed position.

The desk and the means for supporting the machine to shift it from its inoperative, housed position in the pedestal compartment to its operative position in front of the pedestal and vice versa, may be constructed and operated, except as hereinafter explained, substantially as disclosed in the aforesaid patent, and may be briefly described as follows:

The shelf or table Ill on which the machine is stationarily fastened, is secured on a carrying frame I I, which may be of rectangular, skeleton form, composed of rigidly connected side, end, and longitudinal and transverse intermediate bars.

This frame is hinged to swing vertically on a slide or carriage I2 arranged to slide forwardly and rearwardly in the machine compartment I3, formed by the desk pedestal I I, for moving the carrying frame to and from positions within or projecting forwardly out of the compartment. As shown, the frame end bars have projecting ends forming hinged arms I5 which are suitably pivoted at I6 to the ends of the carriage I2, which, as shown, consists of a vertically wide and stiff metal bar that is slidably supported and guided by two pairs of ball bearing rollers I] mounted in the compartment, at its outer side, and having grooved peripheries embracing. the upper and lower edges of the carriage bar.

In order to provide a support of the necessary strength and stability for the machine carriage andthe weight carried thereby, the sheet metal, outer side wall I8 of the pedestal may be stiffened by the usual vertical flanged or Z-bars is welded thereto, and a sheet metal base 20 of channel shape extends horizontally along the wall and has top and bottom flanges spot welded to the side wall, the base channel being notched to straddle the stiffening bars I9. The carriage-supporting rollers may be suitably journalled on brackets ZI fixedly secured on the base channel 253. A vertical cross bar 22 is shown rigidly secured to the inner end portion of the carriage bar I2 and equipped with lower and upper rollers 23 and 2 arranged to roll respectively against the face of the base channel and against an upstanding flange of a horizontal channel bar 25 fixed to the stiffening bars IQ for assisting the rollers I! in slidably retaining the carriage in its intended vertical plane of movement.

The carriage with the carrying frame II and. machine thereon is adapted to be pulled forwardly out of the compartment until arrested by engagement of the rear hinge arm I5 of the frame with a stop 26 on the base channel 20, and the frame II can then be swung upwardly to a horizontal position for supporting the machine in position for use in front of the upper portion of the pedestal. The carryingframe is releasably locked in its horizontal position with its free edge held up against an abutment bar 21 by a suitable latch device 28 which may be mounted on the carrying frame and adapted to engage the bar 21. This latch 28 may be constructed as disclosed in said application, and actuated by a lever or handle 29 to release the frame and permit it to be swungdownwardly and with its supporting carriage shoved back into the machine compartment.

It will be noted that the machine shelf or table I is considerably wider than the door opening 30 in the pedestal, and when in its horizontal position in front of the pedestal, it projects laterally beyond the side of the door opening in front of the corner post or door jamb 3|, at the outer front corner of the pedestal. In order to accommodate a shelf of such width and nevertheless enable the front door 33 to enter between the pedestal corner posts or jambs 3|, 32 and close flush with the front face of the pedestal, so as to make the pedestal front of desired, attractive appearance, similar in character to those of the ordinary pedestal desks, the door is hung by means of concealed hinges which are mounted inside of the machine compartment, and are of a construction adapting the door to swing out forwardly from between the jambs and around the outer jamb or corner post of the pedestal to the position shown in Fig. 6, in which the door projects forwardly from the pedestal laterally beyond the adjacent side of the door' opening and preferably offset therefrom as far or farther than the vertical plane of the outer side face of the pedestal. The door hinges shown for this purpose are constructed and mounted as follows:

Each hinge comprises a supporting plate 35 which is stationarily secured in horizontal position in the outer front corner of the machine compartment, an arm 36 which is rigidly secured to and projects inwardly from the inner side of the door, and a curved link 31 which is pivoted to the supporting plate 35 at .38 and to the arm 36 at 39. The arm 36 extends inwardly beyond its pivotal connection with the link and carries, at its inner end, a stud or roller 40 arranged to travel in a curved slot 4| in the supporting plate, said stud or roller having an enlarged lower end or shoulder adapted to bear upwardly against the bottom of the supporting plate. When opening the door, the swinging links, combined with the guiding action of the slots 4| on the inner ends of the door arms, cause the door to first move forwardly out of the door opening and then swing around the jamb or corner member at the hinged side of the door, to the forwardly projecting, open position offset laterally a considerable distance beyond the adjacent side of the door opening. Preferably, the open door is offset laterally from the door opening, at least to the vertical plane of the outer side of the pedestal, Thus, the door can close into the door opening flush with the front face of the pedestal and swing out around a jamb or pedestal corner member which projects forwardly beyond the general front face of the pedestal. Therefore, the front of the pedestal can be of accepted customary design, with the front face of the door, when closed, like the front faces of the drawers in the usual desk pedestal, set inwardly beyond the front face of the upright ornamental or finishing corner post or member of the pedestal. This manner of hinging the door and mounting the machine shelf or table enables the shelf to be made much wider than the door opening, wide enough to support a copy holder on the shelf back of the machine. Nevertheless, the shelf, when in its horizontal position is located below the top of the door, so that the machine can be located in an operative position low enough for comfortable operation when the operator sits in a chair at a height suitable for comfortable use of the top of the desk for handwriting or other purposes.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a desk having a compartment for housing a typewriting or analogous machine, a shelf on which the machine is fastened, and means for mounting said shelf constructed and arranged to shift the shelf with the machine from a substantially vertical position in the compartment through a front door opening in the compartment to a substantially horizontal position in front of the compartment, a door arranged to close said door opening and occupy a closed position with its front face offset rearwardly inwardly from the front face of the door jamb at the hinged side of the door, and means for hinging the door constructed to cause the door when being opened to move forwardly from its closed position and swing around the said jamb at the hinged side of the door to an open position in which its hinged edge is offset a substantial distance laterally outward beyond the adjacent side of the door opening, and said shelf being of a greater width than the door opening and when in its horizontal position extending laterally in front of said door jamb beyond the side of the door opening.

2. In a desk having a pedestal forming a compartment for housing a typewriting or analogous machine, a shelf on which the machine is fastened, and means for mounting said shelf constructed and arranged to shift the shelf with the machine from a substantially upright position in the compartment through a door opening in the front of the pedestal to a substantially horizontal position in front of the pedestal, a door arranged to close into said door opening between upright pedestal corner members at opposite sides of the door opening, and means for hinging the door constructed to cause the door when being opened to first move forwardly out of the door opening and then swing around the pedestal corner member at the hinged side of the door to an open position offset laterally beyond the adjacent side of the door opening, and said shelf being materially wider than the door opening and when in its horizontal position extending laterally in front of said pedestal corner members beyond both sides of the door opening.

JAMES R. JONES. VICTOR ,A. GRONBERG. LEVI ,M. HUL'IBERG. 

